Wednesday, November 29, 2017

How CVS Pharmacy Can Help You Rock a Salon Chrome Holiday Nail Look

This is a partnered post with CVS Pharmacy. All opinions are my own.

The holiday season has officially begun so it's time to start thinking about what to wear and what to gift your friends and loved ones. Today I'm showing you a holiday nail look that would be perfect for all the upcoming December festivities. The items used to create this look -- all from CVS Pharmacy -- are also great as stocking stuffers or as gift items at a Secret Santa or White Elephant holiday party.

Why CVS Pharmacy

You might remember that I mentioned a few summer beauty buys at CVS Pharmacy back in June. I'm partnering with CVS Pharmacy again for the holidays because the store is committed to better health in every aisle while bringing the latest trends to beauty lovers. CVS Pharmacy has increased its beauty selections and has become my go-to for a wide range of quality beauty items that are also affordable.

A Fresh Nail Base with Beauty 360

Before creating my holiday nail look, I first wanted to make sure my nails were in good condition. Just like having a skin care routine before a makeup routine, you should make sure your nails have a strong base before applying any polish. I utilized the quality nail care products from the Beauty 360 line at CVS Pharmacy. I love that Beauty 360 offers an extensive range of beauty and personal care essentials that balance intelligent design with indulgence to deliver the ultimate in quality and convenience.

I started with the Beauty 360 Dual Sided Nail Brush. The contoured nail brush glides under and over nails with ease as it lightly exfoliates dry skin and cuticles for a clean, fresh look. The slim top bristle bar is designed to gently clean under nails, while the ergonomic design fits perfectly in your hands. To use the dual sided nail brush, first soak your hands in warm water and then gently sweep the brush over nails to clean and exfoliate.

I also used the Beauty 360 Mani/Pedi Sticks to shape and push back my cuticles. This trio of dual-ended sticks comes in different shapes and sizes. The white curved ends are ideal for pushing cuticles and the slanted ends are best for cleaning underneath nails.

Lastly, I finished up my nail care with the Beauty 360 All-in-One Nail Perfector. The nail perfector is a four-sided file that helps to achieve a professional-looking, at-home manicure. Each side has a different grit: coarse, medium, fine and extra fine. Use gentle back and forth strokes on dry nails to create a salon quality finish. Start with the coarse grit to achieve your desired nail length. Then the medium grit to define your nail shape. Follow up with the fine grit to refine your nail shape. Conclude with the extra fine grit for a smooth finish.

Sally Hansen Salon Chrome

For this holiday nail look, I decided to go with chrome nails. I love that they give off a nice sheen that's reminiscent of wrapping paper and ornaments! I used the Sally Hansen Salon Chrome kit that's available at CVS Pharmacy. What was once an expensive ($100+), salon-only LED/UV cured gel look is now an easy to achieve DIY manicure. The kit comes in five colors: rose gold, peacock, holographic, gunmetal and mermaid. My kit is the peacock color. Here's how to get the chrome nail look at home in four easy steps.

Dip the applicator (included in the kit) into the chrome powder (also included in the kit) -- only a small amount needed -- and rub onto the surface of the nail with light pressure in a back and forth motion. Repeat for each nail. After a few seconds, the chrome effect will start to appear.

Apply one thin coat of the special effect top coat (included in the kit) and allow to dry for five minutes.

To really dial-up the holiday factor, I added a couple accent nail colors in gold glitter, also with items from CVS Pharmacy. If you ask me, no holiday look is complete without a little sparkle, so that's why I incorporated the gold.

For my holiday nail look, I went with three colors that I thought would really reflect the season but that were also a reflection of me. For your own look, feel free to stick to one color for a simplified design or even jazz it up a bit more by adding more holiday decorations to your nails. No matter what you choose, remember that you can find a variety of beauty items -- including everything in this post -- from CVS.com or your local CVS Pharmacy store.